Chapter 79: Scales of Justice (Part-10/12) [State vs. Shikeru (Sleep Wins)]

Chapter 79 - Scales of Justice (Part-10/12) [State vs. Shikeru (Sleep Wins)] A murmur spread through the courtroom, faint and uneasy. Homura didn't give it time to settle. He turned back toward Shigaraki, calm in tone. "So then, Master Mugai confirms that the request was never personally approved and the ceremony for which the blade was supposedly loaned out?" Homura shrugged. "Simply didn't exist." He let the silence speak for itself. "Still," he continued, "perhaps that alone is not enough to establish intent. Perhaps it was a simple miscommunication." He gave a slight bow to the generals. "But intent becomes clearer when you look at what was found with the blade." He held his hand and searched through his sleeves, one he found what he was looking for, Homura placed it on the stand in front of Takeshiro. "This contains the copied scroll found wrapped around the shortblade during the raid. It includes security details of the Land of Iron, and notes on border movement patterns." Homura spoke again, "These are undeniably sensitive documents. And their presence alone would raise suspicions, but even more concerning is the fact that another merchant was caught near the Land of Earth's border carrying the same information." He paused, then placed a second scroll in front of the panel. "This confession came from the merchant, obtained under formal questioning, by the samurai's of course. The man stated that he was approached and paid to transport the scrolls, but later claimed he refused and had no idea how the information ended up in his shipment." Homura's tone dropped slightly. "He eventually remembered who approached him, Shikeru Nara." That statement hung in the air like a blade. Shigaraki straightened slightly, as if sensing the tide shifting in their favor. Homura waited just a second longer. Then his voice sharpened. "But here's where it gets... complicated." He turned toward the defendant. "Ambassador Shikeru, did you approach that merchant?" Shikeru gave an exaggerated blink, then tilted his head. "Oh, yes. I definitely spoke with him," he said. "I asked if he sold pickled radishes." Even the samurai looked confused. Homura didn't even blink. "So you deny giving him any scrolls?" "I deny ever trusting a man who tries to sell pickled radishes in the snow," Shikeru said, arms crossed. "His hands were freezing. The daikon would've shattered." Muffled coughs came from the Konoha side, either held-back laughter or disbelief. Homura exhaled through his nose and gestured to the final scroll being placed. "This, Your Honors, is the testimony from rogue shinobi, apprehended on the merchant's supposed delivery path. These shinobi confessed they were instructed to assassinate the merchant en route, clearly indicating someone intended to clean up loose ends." He didn't wait for a response. "And the letter they received, the one that hired them for the hit? It was concluded that all details led to Shikeru, however a very significant detail was left out." He continued, "There was no mention of the fact that the letter also bore a seal matching the personal correspondence of Minister Shunpei." The room erupted. Murmurs. Raised brows. Uneasy shifting from the Land of Iron ministers. Homura raised his voice over it. "For the benefit of the court and to ensure no misunderstanding, I will summarize the evidence we've presented so far." He gestured lightly toward the evidence table. "First, we received two different reports regarding the reason for the raid on Ambassador Shikeru's compound. The one handed to our delegation claimed an anonymous tip accused the ambassador of espionage. However, the official record in your own criminal archive says that Minister Gendo reported a shortblade was not returned, and based on that, urged a raid on the compound." Homura walked a step forward. "Second, we questioned Master Mugai of the Mugai Iai Dojo. He confirmed that he never authorized the sword loan to the ambassador, nor attended any ceremony with him. Despite that, the request was placed under his dojo's name. And the ceremony for which the sword was supposedly borrowed never took place." He turned slightly toward the generals and continued. "Third, the blade in question was recovered wrapped in a scroll containing sensitive security details of the Land of Iron. A merchant intercepted near the Land of Earth border was found carrying the same information. He testified under pressure that Shikeru approached him, though the story was inconsistent and lacked corroboration." Homura let the silence linger a moment before going on. "Rogue shinobi were found positioned along the merchant's route. When captured, they confessed to being hired to eliminate the merchant. The letter they carried named Ambassador Shikeru but bore the seal of Minister Shunpei, for which no record was maintained." He gave the room time to process that. "Through the efforts of our shinobi team, we discovered further documents inside Minister Shunpei's residence, records that match the merchant's travel path and payment logs that tie directly to the same rogue elements. This was not a coincidence. It was a structured deception." He ignored the fact that he blatantly admitted that Konoha shinobi infiltrated the house of a minister from the Land of Iron and turned now to the generals. "This was a carefully coordinated attempt to frame a foreign ambassador. And each of these threads, each forgery, each manipulated report, leads back to Minister Shunpei." General Takeshiro, seated at the center, raised his hand slightly. "Minister Shunpei," he said. "You have been directly named in several points of evidence. You may speak for yourself." All eyes turned to Shunpei. He stood slowly. His expression remained composed, face unreadable. "I understand the weight of what's being alleged," he began, tone calm and steady. "But allow me to remind everyone of one thing, the original letter retrieved from the rogue shinobi, the one they received as instructions for the assassination attempt, carried my seal... yes. But it also explicitly named Ambassador Shikeru as the source of the order." He let the words hang, turning to the audience, then to the generals. "Isn't it more plausible that someone forged a connection to me in order to redirect suspicion after the ambassador's actions were exposed?" Homura didn't move. He listened. "I've worked for the betterment of this nation for years," Shunpei continued. "Would I really involve rogue elements and falsify a ceremony for, what? Political gain? There is no motive. Everything presented here, poems, scrolls, even if they present a witness it could all easily be fabricated." He turned toward Takeshiro. "In war, and in peace, deception runs deep. Everything you have seen could be the result of a well-planned misdirection. A story built to fit a desired narrative. I would urge the court to remember that." He returned to his seat without waiting for permission. Takeshiro leaned forward. "I must admit," he said, "this case is built on many small threads. Each one, while compelling, could be explained. The seal on the rogue letter, the testimony of a possibly coerced merchant, the scrolls and forged records. This all could have been fabricated to mislead." He looked to Homura. "We samurai are not unfamiliar with shinobi tactics. Deception and manipulation are part of your craft. I must weigh this evidence with caution." Homura stood silent for a moment. Then he exhaled, as if resigning himself to something. "Well," he said, "it seems we are going nowhere with this." He turned to Shunpei and asked directly. "Minister Shunpei, I will ask once more. Did you have anything to do with this operation? No instructions passed indirectly, no orders through intermediaries?" Shunpei shook his head without hesitation. "I had no involvement." Homura gave a long sigh. "I had hoped you would confess. It would've saved us all some time." He reached into his sleeve and drew out a slim, leather-bound book. "This is the personal diary of Takeshi Masamoto, Minister Gendo's assistant. It was hidden with multiple seals and recovered during our investigation." As he pulled the diary free, a small object slipped from his opposite sleeve and fell to the courtroom floor with a soft metallic clink. A coin rolled gently across the tiles and came to a stop near Ren's leg. Ren looked down and immediately recognized it. It was the same coin they had recovered from Takeshi's house, engraved with the subtle but unmistakable horse insignia of General Ryuma's personal network. The three generals seated before them had a clear view of it. Homura looked back with a feigned look of mild annoyance. "Ah," he said casually, "just a small trinket we found in the assistant's house. Thought it looked nice. I was planning to give it to my grandniece." His tone was light, but the meaning behind it was sharp. Ren understood. He bent down and subtly tilted the coin, just enough for the horse insignia to catch the light. A faint gleam reflected the symbol to the three generals. They all saw it. General Sayo's eyes narrowed slightly. General Takeshiro leaned forward. General Ryuma's lips pressed into a firm line, though his face betrayed nothing else. Ren then walked up and handed the coin back to Homura, who accepted it and started fiddling with it in his fingers. With the room's attention fully focused, Homura placed the diary on the evidence table and opened it to several marked pages. "The diary was protected by a chakra-based absorption seal. Once deactivated, the entries became visible. These entries contain direct logs of orders given to Takeshi by someone referred to as 'S'. They mention planning the raid, preparing alternative narratives, and coordinating with rogue elements." He turned another page. "One entry confirms that Minister Gendo began pulling away from the operation. The next logs a command to proceed with a contingency plan. One that includes planting evidence and shifting blame." Homura closed the book and stepped back. "The coin confirms Takeshi's other allegiance. The diary confirms who he was following. Together, they dismantle this illusion." He turned to the tribunal. "We leave the decision in your hands." General Takeshiro remained silent for a long moment. The weight in the room was heavy, waiting for his decision. Then, without changing his tone, he finally spoke. "Hmm... If we continue like this, it will simply become your word against ours." He paused and looked directly at the Konoha delegation. "So let us do it in the samurai way." The room stirred with confusion. Even some of the Land of Iron officials blinked in surprise. But the other two generals, Sayo and Ryuma, remained completely still. Neither surprised nor objecting. Only the Konoha delegation remained unmoved. Ren frowned slightly, 'The old man's really crafty. I thought he would use the diary as the main piece of evidence and yet...' His eyes flicked to Homura, then back to Takeshiro, 'But when he saw that the general was leaning toward their own minister, he subtly let them see the coin. A reminder that this might involve one of the generals themselves.' Ren glanced at the spot where the coin had dropped. 'If a general's name came up publicly, even if they managed to prove they weren't involved, it would raise suspicions among other nations. They'd see it as a cover-up.' His thoughts continued, darker now. 'But if only the three generals know, it would cause a subtle rift inside the top leadership of the Land of Iron instead. Quiet, but real.' He exhaled silently. 'Damn... None of the old foxes back in Konoha are clean. Every one of them has a brain wired for screwing over other nations. Schemes inside schemes.' A sudden thought came to him. 'Wait. Could this all have been Konoha's plan? Cause internal disruption in the Land of Iron?' But then he shook his head, pushing the thought away. 'Nah, no way. If that was the case, they wouldn't have let their own ambassador get caught.' Still, the thought didn't fully leave him. Takeshiro continued, voice unwavering. "Following the code of the samurai... when matters cannot be resolved with words, they are to be resolved by the sword." He turned his gaze toward both Shikeru and Shunpei. "Two days from now, in the Arena of Final Accord, there will be a duel to the death." Gasps and shocked murmurs rippled through the room. Takeshiro raised a hand slightly, silencing the noise. "The duel shall be between Minister Shunpei of the Land of Iron and Ambassador Shikeru of the Land of Fire." He paused. "The one who dies will be deemed the culprit. The one who survives will be declared innocent." A collective silence followed. Takeshiro added the final point. "Both parties may name stand-ins to fight in their place. However, the rule remains. The loser shall die. That is all." With that, he stood from his seat. The other two generals rose with him. General Sayo gave no reaction, her expression unreadable. General Ryuma didn't glance at anyone as he turned to leave. Takeshiro walked from the chamber with heavy, echoing steps. Behind them, Minister Shunpei remained in his seat. His confident posture had shifted. His brows were drawn tight, his jaw clenched. A cold frown was now etched on his face. The path he thought would lead to safety had taken a deadly turn. Ren looked at him, then back at his own side. Homura stood up calmly. Utakata and Juichi followed suit. He stood up and stretched his shoulders. Then he walked out with the rest of them, into the snow-covered city, where the duel of life and death now loomed only two days away. ~~~~~ {I'm sure the Chapter title suggests that it once again fun writing.} {The evidence which I didn't show onscreen were collected by the ANBU off-screen cuz that's where they belong. Just 2 more Chapters, and all this is over, then we'll go back to our regular lives of violence} {Well you know what to do} {STONES!!!!}